What? Only four months into our trip and they've already lost their sense of adventure? Where was their carpe diem spirit? How could mountains of homework possibly keep them from the adventures that were awaiting us, just outside the door?
It was definitely time for a reset. Leave it to hubby to have at his fingertips a YouTube video that was just what we all needed to put it in perspective. For those of you needing some inspiration, CHECK THIS OUT. (In case the link doesn't work, it's a young Robin Williams' Carpe Diem speech to his students in "Dead Poet's Society.")
If that doesn't get you going, I don't know what will. Three minutes later, with a rallying cry of "CARPEEEEEEEEE DIIIIIIIIIIEMMMMMM," we were tripping over each other to get out the door, leaving our cares and worries behind for a day of exploration!
Our general destination was Baltimore's Inner Harbor, where we wanted to check out Fort McHenry, a star-shaped fort that was the site of the British Naval Bombardment of Baltimore Harbor during the War of 1812. It was those bombs bursting in air that inspired Francis Scott Key to write the Star Spangled Banner, the song that would eventually become our national anthem.
Although it was a beautiful day, it was COLD, and the winds were brisk. The little "storm flag" they were flying at Fort McHenry was getting a workout in the 40-60 mph gusts.
We oriented ourselves with the brief NPS video at the Visitor's Center, and then we braved the winds outside and headed up to the Fort.
The Fort lies at the entrance to the Baltimore Harbor, and thus was the key to defense of the city when the British came to attack and burn Baltimore in 1814. The British Navy bombarded Fort McHenry for 25 hours, and it's estimated that between 1,500 to 1,800 shells and rockets were fired at the fort during that time.
Fort McHenry was defended by a thousand brave men, its gun batteries protecting the river channel that led to the city.
When the smoke cleared the morning after the bombardment, Francis Scott Key was on a ship in the Chesapeake Bay, straining through his telescope to see whose flag was hoisted over the fort. When he saw that it was the stars and stripes of Fort McHenry's flag, he was so overjoyed he was inspired to write the poem the "Defence (sic) of Fort McHenry," which grew over the years in popularity until "The Star-Spangled Banner" later became the National Anthem of the United States in 1931.
If you need a patriotic shot in the arm, go see Fort McHenry. I dare you not to cry when everyone stands at the end of the video shown in the Visitor's Center to sing the Star-Spangled Banner. Proud American moment!
Fort Washington is the military fort you can see when you're on the Virginia side of the Potomac, just north of Mt. Vernon, looking over at Maryland.
Originally Fort Warburton, the United States began constructing a fort on this location in 1808 to defend the river approach to Washington D.C. from the British. That original fort was destroyed in 1814, but it was replaced by a new fort that was completed in 1824.
The fort has been many things over the years, housing many troops and reinventing itself as the needs of the coastal defense changed over time. It played a role in defending the nation's capital in the Civil War, and it has played a key role in the coastal defense of the nation's capital for almost 200 years.
Bye, Maryland! Look forward to seeing more of your hidden treasures another day.
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